Rupali Ganguly recently issued a defamation notice to her stepdaughter, Esha Verma, demanding a compensation of Rs 50 crore for allegedly "maligning" her character and personal life. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the actress' lawyer Sana Raees Khan explained that the Rs 50 crore figure is not arbitrary. It represents the wide-reaching impact these false allegations have had on Rupali's personal dignity, public image and career, which she has worked years to build.
She said, "The Rs 50 Crore amount specified in the defamation notice represents the serious damage caused to Ms Rupali Ganguly's personal and professional reputation due to baseless and defamatory statements made against her. This amount reflects not only the emotional and reputational harm but also the impact on her career, which she has dedicated years to building. Ms. Ganguly believes that such false allegations should have significant consequences and discourage similar actions in the future. The demand underscores our commitment to holding individuals accountable for malicious actions that can harm one's dignity and livelihood."
In the same interview with NDTV, Sana Raees Khan spoke about Esha's reaction to the legal notice. "She has not responded to the notice. She has deleted her Twitter account and removed all her defamatory posts. The deletion of defamatory posts following our notice reinforces the principle that false statements carry consequences and highlights the importance of safeguarding an individual's reputation from baseless attacks. Her stepdaughter has taken down the defamatory posts following our legal notice which we see as a meaningful step toward justice. This outcome reflects our victory for truth and accountability, reaffirming that reckless and harmful statements have no place in the public sphere. This definitely sets a strong precedent on the importance of responsible communication, especially when it concerns the reputation and dignity of others."
Sana Raees Khan revealed that the notice mentions that Rupali Ganguly endured mental trauma due to these statements, requiring medical treatment, and faced humiliation on set, which also led to the loss of professional opportunities. The notice explains that while the actress initially chose to remain silent out of dignity, she was forced to take legal action after she and her husband Ashwin Verma's 11-year-old son was dragged into the matter.
ICYDK, it all started after Esha Verma made serious allegations against her father Ashwin Verma and Rupali Ganguly. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, the 26-year-old accused Rupali of physically assaulting her mother in Mumbai, stating, "Rupali physically hit my mother in person in Mumbai." Esha also accused Ashwin of being "a very abusive man physically and emotionally." She went on to say, "I was devastated, crying in high school because of the women who deliberately came into our lives, who broke my parent's marriage, who physically hit my mother in person in Mumbai in my grandparent's house. To see her win, that's the most devastating thing which I have gone through. I'm not pinpointing just Rupali here; I have also gathered the strength to say that it is my father's fault. He was also a very abusive man physically and emotionally so it's a two-party street."
Esha further claimed that when the news of her allegations first went viral, she was terrified and pressured by her father to delete her post. She also recounted an unsettling experience when Rupali travelled to their home in New Jersey and allegedly slept in the bed shared by Esha's parents. "It was Rupali who told my father to give my mother the divorce papers," Esha revealed. She expressed her disbelief over Ashwin's recent comments on social media, where he denied Rupali's involvement. Esha countered, saying, "I don't know what Rupali and Ashwin will say further about these allegations and comments. I know my father has said something on Twitter now X. He said that Rupali was not involved, and that is the biggest lie because Rupali was the one who came to my house in New Jersey and slept on my mother's bed-the bed that my father and mother shared. She has done so much, physically, mentally, verbally, and emotionally, abusing me and my mom. I feel like that was a lot of trauma I had to deal with and suffer with and my mom did too. We suffered a lot, and we don't have that exposure as she does."
Esha, now 26, is the daughter of Ashwin and Sapna Verma and currently resides in the United States. Ashwin and Sapna married in 1997 and separated in 2008. Ashwin married Rupali in 2013, and are parents to a son named Rudransh.